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Afora
Afora Afora is the northwestern-most continent of Kaylania. It is host to a moderately cold climate. The vast majority of Afora is plains. The northern-most plains are tundras gripped by permafrost and a near constant winter. It is in this region that a mountain range spans along nearly the entire width of the continent. The south-eastern plains of Afora are largely civillised home to metropolitan kingdoms. The further west into the continent one travels the denser woodlands becomes until The Great Forest borders are met. Past the western borders of The Great Forest are lesser, sporadic, mountain ranges. These eventually run out into steppes. The Range of Thuliga In the northern tundras of Afora The Range of Thuliga spreads across the width of the continent. The tallest mountains in Kaylania sprout here and loom over their lesser counterparts in the ranges. The great heights of these mountains mean that the area is almost permanently below freezing temperatures due to elevation. There are exceptions, however, as amongst the mountains are semi-active volcanos which provide heat to valleys and allow for life to thrive. The Goliath tribes of Afora make their home and hail from The Range of Thuliga. It is thought that the first clan, Thuliga, managed to set up the first Goliath village here after fighting a bloody battle to break free from the slavery enforced upon them by stone giants. The Goliaths which inhabit the mountains are nomadic in nature, never staying in one place for longer than a month. The different clans follow routes around the mountains, intermingling very rarely due to the sheer size of the mountains. All of these routes, however, overlap the only known Goliath city in Kaylania, Volak-Thea (Shunned in Common). This city is filled with individuals who have been exiled, or left their tribe due to the shunning practices of Goliaths. These Goliath forsake their nomadic nature and instead practice trade with their neighbours. It is from here that goods otherwise unavailable to Goliaths find their way to the clans. Though to finance purchases from this city many Goliath clans practice raiding on their counterparts and on visitors to their range. It is thought that at any one point in time there are as many as 175,000 Goliaths in The Range of Thuliga. Mount Ae-Faern The largest mountain in The Range of Thuliga. It stands over 9,848m high. At the base of this mountain is the entrance to Ae-Faern (Gold-Home in Common) the capital city of the Aforan Dwarvish Kingdom Moradirune (Moradin's Familiars). It is from here that all matters of state are handled. This includes diplomacy between clans, other races, and kingdoms. Clan Thuldor rule over the city and its denizens and their chieftain acts as the monarch for the entire Dwarven kingdom, though autonomy between clans and cities is prevalent. The city itself is many stories high, rumoured to reach to the peak of the mountain. The city is home to the great forge of Moradin where some of the greatest metalwork in all of Kaylania is created. Blacksmiths from all over the world make a pilgrimage to this forge to apprentice themselves. The city also acts as a hub to all the other Dwarven cities in the Moradirune. Tunnels which reach through the borders of the Underdark finger their way to various Dwarven cities and settlements located beneath The Range of Thuliga. Ae-Faern is thus considered to be the place where all trade, culture and gossip flows and the cultural capital of Northern Afora. The population of Ae-Faern is thought to be no less than 786,550 people at any time, though this can swell during the height of the trading season to 1.5 million. The Monastic Mountains A lower mountain range to the eastern border of The Great Forest, The Monastic Mountains is home to the monasteries of Gith. These monasteries scatter through the range and act as a bastion between eastern and western culture on Afora. The monasteries were founded by Githzerai followers of Gith, the monk leader of the Githzerai population in Afora. Afora is the only place in Kaylania where Githzerai are likely to be found as they very rarely travel out with their monasteries. The monasteries are built over the sites of Illithid ruins where the Githzerai were originally enslaved to their Illithid masters. After millenia of isolation and selective breeding, they were eventually able to break free due to their own psionic prowess. Their resistance was quick and the uprising rooted out the Illithid factions within Afora. Gith the leader decreed that the Illithid would be allowed to leave unharmed after their surrender. The monasteries now serve as places of education. Monks dedicate their time to prayer and learning of martial arts, and psionics learn to bend the world to the will of their minds. Their teachings attract many visitors who reside amongst them and take up training. Small villages pop up around the monasteries where monks offer protection to the populace and in return, the villages provide food and trade goods to the monasteries. The Gentauri Steppes The Gentauri Steppes make up the majority of Western Afora. Here the steppes stretch out until they return to the plains and the coastal terrain. There is very little in the way of civilisation here as the fields stretch out almost endlessly. Nomadic centaur tribes are the main civilisation that makes this land their home. There are, however, three grouped cities that the Earth Genasi of Afora calls home. These cities are trade centers but also mustering points. Mercenaries make their home here, protecting the cities against the roving barbarian raiders that often launch campaigns against the civilised folk of the steppes. The cities of the east are considered bastions of knowledge. Their towering walls and towers are the centre of natural science and filled with technological wonders. The cities operate the only known airships, great zeppelins that are propelled through the air carrying trade goods to the western cities and ferrying troops amongst themselves for defense. Stonetower Stonetower, the prime city of the Earth Genasi of The Gentauri Steppes is the major trading port of the west. The primary feature of the city is an ornate 3000m stone tower which acts as an airport for the airships. The tower has fifteen bays for airships and the rest of its structure is filled with small hovels and shops in which the Kenku population of the city reside and practice their business and thievery. The ground is where the Earth Genasi reside. The sprawling city is home to numerous bazaars where traders shout their prices and sell their wares. Workshops and foundries make up the industrial sector of the city, spewing acrid fumes into the sky as they create great machines and parts for new and existing airships. There is, within the city, a great garden which houses plants from every known part of Afora. It is in this city that festivals and religious ceremonies take place as shrines can be found with the flora encircling them only disturbed by the offerings left by worshippers. There are three smaller towers which circle the great Stone Tower which houses the arcanists and their research workshops. It is in this place where magic is openly practiced and experimented with and sounds and light effects from the spells can be seen emanating from windows and walls at various points during the day. The population of Stonetower reaches around 137,000 residents. The Great Forest The Great Forest is the single largest forest in Kaylania. To travel its width at the thinnest part takes 4 days on horseback its length has never been traveled in one journey. The forest is home to numerous creatures, all of which seem to have been altered by the innate magic of the forest. No one but the inhabitants of the forest will hunt within its reaches and trade caravans prefer to skirt the borders or take airships over the vast woodland than go through it. The Great Forest is, however, the native home of Wood Elves and Forest Gnomes in separate kingdoms. These races tend to be extremely isolationist, tolerating visitors to their homelands but rarely straying from it themselves. The denizens of the Elven kingdom of Trazaethe (Tree Home in Common) inhabit sprawling wall-less cities throughout three-quarters of The Great Forest, their capital city is Laran'Kiira (Regal Gem in Common) and is home to the Elven Council, the ruling faction of Trazaethe. The Gnomish Kingdom Aethen (Others in Common) live peaceably with their elven neighbours. Trade between the two kingdom flourishes as the gnomish ingenuity allows for wood carving structures that elven magic cannot quite manage to create. Building projects between the two kingdoms often involve gnomish architects whilst magical work is provided by the Elven kingdom. The capital city of Aethen is Baervaan. Laran'Kiira Laran'Kiira is by far the most metropolitan city of Trazaethe, or even the entire Great Forest. This does not mean that there is a significant population of immigrants, however, as the outsider population is at best described as tourists and traveling merchants. The city's size is hard to ascertain due to its wall-less size. There are no sectors for specific trades or artisans with the elves preferring to work wherever their homes are. There is, however, a sector for foreign traders to peddle their wares. The population of Laran'Kiira is 89,000. Baervaan Baervaan, the capital Gnomish city, is not built for larger guests. The isolationist nature of the people of The Great Forest meaning that visitors do not often come to their city. Traders are more likely to trade in Laran'Kiira or other elven cities which Gnomish traders will visit and purchase from. Baervaan, however, is far more organised than Elven cities. There are specific sectors for trade, industry, religious, and government buildings. There is also a small sector devoted to foreign guests, normally Elven dignitaries, as such the buildings of this sector are built to accommodate their larger sizes. The population of Aethen is 90,900. The Ventrian Planes The planes of Ventria were the original landing site of the human settlers which came to Afora in the early ages. It was originally owned by the High Elven inhabitants of the land that lived outwith The Great Forest. The two races intermingled for the longest time, the elves finding the natural adaptability of the human settlers a boon. The seasons in Ventria are some of the most extreme in their changes and the naturally rigid High Elves often struggled to adapt. The welcoming of the humans or Bhin'Rysor (Human Age in Common) brought about much upheaval to the lands of Ventria. The elven population, welcoming many humans into their settlements, found themselves quickly outnumbered by the short lived and quickly breeding humans. Many human settlements began to crop up outside of Elven lands and they were soon surrounded. This eventually lead to a shift in power as the Elven High King of Ventria was deposed and a human council of elected officials took power. After this a programme was introduced to begin breeding out the elves and after a thousand years the population of pure High Elves was reduced from tens of thousands to a mere 4,000 in Afora. The High Elven population is often treated as second class within the Ventrian planes and all full elves are viewed with suspicion and distrust. Half-Elves are considered the ideal race within Ventria, making up a majority of the population with a pure human population of roughly 85,000. The capital of Ventria is Ventraan. Ventraan The coastal city of Ventraan is the capital of Ventria and the largest city in Afora. Its population is mostly Half-Elven, however, the city is truly metropolitan accepting many immigrants from other continents able to set sail for Afora. The city is roughly home to 437,000 people, just under a third of the 1.6 million Ventrian total population. The centre of the city is home to an old elven palace which is now called The Majlis Halls. It is here that the 325 strong parliament of Ventria meets once a month to discuss issues affecting the nation. The Sea-Gate is the second largest feature in Ventraan, a secondary wall that encapsulates the docks and separates them from the rest of the city. Built into these walls are various checkpoints where visitors are issued with tourist cards and immigrants are given rights to stay, any unwelcome or unsavoury creatures are stopped at this wall and ejected from the city. The Merchants Runs are a series of streets which directly run off from entrances to the city proper from The Sea Gate. It is here that merchandise is delivered to warehouses and taken to large storefronts owned by the licensed merchants of the city. This part of the city is constantly busy as the business of trade setups, exporting and importing runs 24 hours a day. The Elven Quarter is an area of the city that pure-blooded High Elves are granted. Whilst the majority of its houses are of poorer quality than the rest of the city there does exist mansions which house the original noble families of the city. These noble families possess absolute power over the Elven Quarter, running it effectively as a separate entity to the rest of the city, however, the nobles also hold seats on the Ventrian parliament. The Terrace of Artisans is home to the city's producers of fine goods. Luxury items are the main export of the city and thus silver and gold smiths often make their home here, along with numerous crafters of fine rugs and other creature comforts and symbols fo wealth and power. The People's Hold is the military district of Ventraan. It is home to the largest fortress in Afora, The Might of Ventria. The fortress itself encompasses the entire district, roughly 15% of the city's size. Like the Sea Gate, great internal walls separate this district from the rest of the city. It is here that the Ventrian Immortals, the elite fighting force of Ventria, are housed along with the city guardians. Access to this district is forbidden to normal citizens with the exception of those granted permission by the Satrap of Ventraan. The Satrap's District is the home to the Majlii of the city, along with the diplomats and dignitaries of visiting states. The leader of the city also is housed here, The Starap. His home is the largest mansion in the city and also acts as the meeting place for any diplomatic meetings and dinners. The Commons is the area of Ventraan where most commoners live. It is home to some areas which can only be best described as slums, however, by far the majority of homes are of reasonable quality.